


Sins of a Father

by tazo16



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everyone Has Issues, F/M, Gen, M/M, combeferre is basically dating his work, courfeyrac is everyone's therapist, jehan is brilliant, maybe more relationships later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 04:30:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2838005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tazo16/pseuds/tazo16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Courfeyrac works in the ABC coffee shop/library. Everyone has issues, and somehow Couf is everyone's therapist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sins of a Father

“I want an ice pop.”

“Couf, maybe this would go a bit faster if you stopped complaining.”

Huff. “You know, Ferre,” puff, “I don’t think you sound,” heave, “out of breath enough.” Courfeyrac imagined that Ferre rolled his eyes, but there was a massive cardboard box obstructing his view.

“Couf, the door.” Combeferre heaved.

Courfeyrac leaned his shoulder against the door, inching it open. Windbells chimed, mixing with the sound of feet scraping against wood floor and the boys’ heaves.

  
“A little… further…” They edged closer towards the bookshelves.

  
“Here.” Ferre managed, and the two unceremoniously dropped the bursting cardboard box to the floor. The nearby bookshelves shuddered from the impact, their books shuddering in tandem.

  
“Are you sure those are medical textbooks? Or is there a cadaver or two in there?” Courfeyrac asked as he straightened a disturbed chair and table set.

  
“However interesting that might be, I don’t think bringing dead bodies into a food establishment is very sanitary.” Combeferre bent down and began dragging the box down the aisle between the bookshelves, towards the center of the reading area. Courferyac trailed after him before collapsing onto one of the worn couches that coated the small nook.

  
“There’s some empty space next to your biology books from last year, on the 3rd shelf.” Couf informed him, placing his feet up on the center reading table, leaning back.

  
“Thanks for your help.” Combeferre dragged the box between the narrow aisles, wedging the box in as far as it could go.

  
“My pleasure.” Couf crossed his legs on top of each other. “Don’t take up too much room, Bahorel’s going to want some of that space for his physical therapy books.”

  
Combeferre grunted in response, bending down to free a stack of books from collapsing box before placing them on a vacant shelf.

  
The windbells chimed again. “We’re closed today.” Courfeyrac shouted in the general direction of the door.

“That’s never seemed to be an issue before.” A wry voice answered back.

“Enjolras!” Couf cried, and leapt up from his chair, throwing himself at the cafe intruder.

“Welcome home. “ Combeferre called, his head buried deep inside the cardboard box.

“Yes, it’s good to be back.” Enjolras’s voice was strained. “Now can you please let go.”

Couf let Enjolras remove himself from the bear hug. “Glad to have you back.”

“I can tell. And you’ll be happy to know that I have something for you.” Enjolras followed the voice that emerged from between the bookshelves, then knelt down next to Combeferre to help him shelve the books.

“You got the store a communal puppy?” Courfeyrac leaned against the edge of the bookcase, watching his friends struggle.

“You finally found a brand of coffee that has enough free trade sticker and child labor free insurances to meet your standards?” Combeferre neatly slipped a copy of Medical Textbook between two other seemingly identical biology textbooks.

“No to both, thankfully to the former, unfortunately to the latter.” Enjolras reached into the box to grab another textbook and found that his hand brushed the remnants of the bottom of the box.

Couf’s face fell. “It’s another box for us to haul, isn’t it.”

Enjolras’s face was angelic as he stood back up, brushing himself off. “I promise, the law books are infinitely lighter than any medical textbooksCombeferre managed to find.”

Courfeyrac felt his arms crying already. “Where’s Bahorel when you need him?”

“Right now, he’s setting up for club fair. It’s tomorrow, and he wants the wrestling team’s table to actually be presentable.”

“Isn’t that where you should be? Setting up the debate table? Making sure your fliers are all perfectly lined up?” Enjolras lifted an eyebrow, and Courfeyrac sighed. “Why did I even ask, you probably finished preparing your speech the second week into summer break.”

Enjolras smiled faintly. “I finally let myself procrastinate a bit. I didn’t start working on the booth until a month into break.”

Courfeyrac let out a gasp, and Combeferre responded by attempting to stand up, but instead thumping his head against the bookshelf.

“Procrastinate? Enj, ow, I didn’t know you knew the meaning of the _oww_ word. Couf, do you happen to have any ice?” Combeferre finally emerged from behind the bookshelf, clutching the back of his head. “I blame you for this, Enjolras.”

“Lack of sufficient evidence.” Enjolras answered. “But I apologize regardless. That’s going to leave a bump.”

Couf let himself behind the counter and began rummaging through the cafe’s too small fridge. “Bananas, soy milk... Ferre, do frozen blueberries work?”

Enjolras led Combeferre towards one of the chairs that surrounded the main table.

Combeferre gritted his teeth. “They’ll do just fine.”

Courfeyrac tossed the sack of frozen fruit toward Enjolras, who caught them and placed the bag over the back of Combeferre’s head, letting the bag mold to the shape of his head.

“You guys are the worst.” Ferre let out through his clenched jaw.

“Don’t squeeze your jaw like that, you’ll just irritate the bump more.” Enjolras advised.

“Oh, why thank you, Dr. Enjolras. I didn’t know that. I haven’t just spent a semester taking an entire class on neurology.”

Courfeyrac sighed. “You know how I know you’re going to be a fantastic doctor, Ferre?”

“My capabilities?”

“His pleasant bedside manner?”

“No, the fact that you’re a terrible patient.”

Combeferre let himself sink further into the chair, and yanked control of the blueberry bag from Enjolras. “Enjolras, you’ll be happy to know that I’m finally taking your idol for a class.”

Enjolras’s eyes lit up. “You’re taking Lamarque? For what? Modern Political Thinkers? Politics in Film? Democracy in the New Age?”

“God, how many classes does that man teach? No, I’m taking him for Piracy and the Nation-State.”

“You’re taking piracy?” Courfeyrac practically squealed, dropping himself down on the table. “Best class I’ve ever taken.”

Enjolras gave Combeferre a significant look at dropped into the loveseat next to him. “See, I haven’t been making this up.”

“I’ll decide for myself at the end of the course.” Combeferre grumbled. “What are you taking this semester?”

“18th Century Art, Modern Political Thinkers, Constitution, Gender Bias in the Media, and Ethics of War.” Enjolras counted off on his fingers.

Courfeyrac snorted. “Only 5 courses? Slacker.”

Enjolras looked regretful. “I want to take a 6th, but Lamarque suggested I leave time for Model UN, since I am one of the head chairs this semester.”

“So you didn’t lighten your course load so you could help out around the shop? I’m offended.”

Combeferre rolled his eyes. “As if you’d ever want Enjolras behind the counter. He’d spend the entire time debating with the customers about the necessity of free trade coffee, but would manage to find time to melt the entire food display.”

Enjolras shrugged, causing the late afternoon shadow drifting in from the windows to ripple across the table. “You’ll be fine. You’ll be here a lot, and so will Jehan and Musichetta.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Couf lept up and grabbed a too-many-times folded paper from his back pocket. “The new schedule!” He proclaimed, and pinned it to the cork board at the far back of the reading area. “Musichetta will be taking mornings, Jehan is covering the afternoons except Thursdays, and I’ll be handling the evening, night, and procrastinator midnight+ crowds.”

“First notice of the semester.” Combeferre remarked. “It looks a little bare. Enjolras, you’ll have to fix that for us.”

Enjolras nodded. “And the chalk board beside it looks too blank as well. Couf, did you remember to pick up a box of multicolored chalk?”

“No, but I’ll add it to the list.” Courfeyrac rejoined them at the head of the table. “Do you have a pen?”

Enjolras reached into his pockets and found nothing, but Combeferre managed to find a minature highlighter in the deep recesses of his jeans pockets. Courfeyrac shrugged.

“Works for me.” He quickly scribbled ‘colored chalk’ on his right arm, below ‘Othello’, ‘pillow case’, and ‘cough syrup’. Couf handed back the highlighter, and Combeferre gave him as significant look.

“I wasn’t going to say anything about you drawing on your skin, because I know that’s a lost battle, but cough syrup? Couf, if something happened over the summer…”

Courfeyrac gave an uncharacteristically sharp laugh. “Yes, but no, not at all. The cough syrup is for Joly. He’s going to start claiming that he needs some in a week or two, so I might as well have a bottle ready.”

Enjolras decided to ignore the first half of the comment. For now. “How considerate. But please, for the love of all that you deem holy, do not keep that behind the counter.”

Courfeyrac held up three fingers. “I promise, Scout’s Honor. I’ll hide it behind the massive book of diseases in the science section.”

Combeferre sighed. “You call it a science section, but it’s more like a science shelf. We need more books.”

Couf slid off the table and spread his arms. “Ferre, this entire place is _maybe_ 500 square feet. And the only section bigger than science is language, and that’s because Jehan keeps all his books here, and he brings in a new one literally every week.”

“The philosophy section is particularly tiny.” Enjolras added. “We didn’t even have a copy of ‘The Communist Manifesto’ until last year, which is disgraceful, by the way. It’s barely 50 pages, and we didn’t have a copy of it.”

“I am aware that the boom section is somewhat limited.” Couf said soothingly, sliding into the hole-ridden chaise lounge across from Enjolras. “See, I have to go buy a copy of Othello for this place, because we only have four of Shakespeare’s works with decent commentary. We’ll get there. We’ve got a long semester ahead of us, with tons of required readings across the spectrum. I think Marius is finally bringing a copy of the DSM-5 with him. Ferre, how’s the head?”

“Well, now my arm hurts from holding it like this for so long, “ Combeferre commented. “But I think it’ll be fine. Might as well put these back.” He tossed the blueberries back to Courferyac.

“I just sat back down!” Couf whined, but got up anyways. “Rude.”

Combeferre gave an innocent smile. “Hey, I’m not the one who works here.”

“Enjolras, help!” Couf called as he headed towards the front of the store. “I’m being oppressed by bourgeois expectations of customer service!”

“Oh yes, you look like you’re really suffering.” Enjolras said dryly. “Now, while you’re there, do you mind getting me a glass of water?”

Courfeyrac scowled. “I hate you guys.”

* * *

 

Courfeyrac burst through the door, rushing towards the counter. It was his first day back at work, and already he was late.

Speeding past a surprised Jehan, (Oh thank God, there’s no line) Couf rushed to the back room, throwing on the solitary apron hanging on the wall. He took a deep breath, then headed back behind the counter.

“Hello there, Jehan,” Couf turned towards the sink and began to thoroughly scrub his hands.

Behind him, Jehan laughed softly. “Welcome back, Courfeyrac. How was your summer?”

Couf turned and grinned at them. “Fantastic. And yours? Has the lunch crowd filtered in yet?”

Jehan dodged the first question, and intend inclined their head towards the library area, which was only sparsely populated. “I hope not.” They blew a stray hair out of their face. “Otherwise it’s going to take me a long time for my tips to add up to a new straightening iron. Oh, you’re missing your name tag.”

Courfeyrac glanced down to where his name tag should have been and shrugged. “I think that by this point, almost everyone knows my name.”

Jehan snorted. “Always so humble.”

Before Couf could retort with a semi-witty comment, the wind bells chimed, and the door admitted a scattered look individual staggering under a mountainous stack of books.

“Bossuet!” Courfeyrac called out gleefully, and a bald head emerged from behind the behind the stack.

“Hey, Jehan, Cou- oof!” The pile tumbled from Bossuet hands, (scattering) the floor. “Well, I probably should have expected that. Anyone willing to give me a hand?”

The haphazard clutter of students sitting around the reading table ignored the newcomer’s plea. Jehan hurried out from behind the counter to help Bossuet regather his load.

“That’s what you get for bringing math books in here.” Ouf called to the pair on the floor. “The cafe rejected them.”

Bossuet placed Statistic 201 on top of Statistics and Practical Applications. “And I think the library needs a bit of diversity. There’s only three math books, two of which I donated, and the third of which is technically a biology textbook. Math has been underrepresented here, and I won’t let this injustice carry on any longer.”

Couf rolled his eyes. “Calm down there, Enjolras, you can have your books. I think there’s some space on the third bookcase from the back, on the left-hand side.”

Bousset saluted. “Got it, chief. Jehan, can you take the top few?” As they headed towards the back, Bousset called back, “Oh, and I want a hot chocolate for my efforts!”

“You’ll pay for your hot chocolate and you’ll be grateful!” Couf shouted in return.

Steam the milk. Measure the powder. Pour. Stir slowly, slowly. Pour into the cup. Where’s the whipped cream?

It was good to be back.

He placed the completed drink on the counter and tossed the chocolate covered teaspooner into the sink. He’d have to clean that later. Ugh, he hated cleaning duty.

“Ah, blessed hot chocolate.” Bousset grinned and slid into one of the swivel stills that sat at the counter. “I’ve missed this.”

“If you’re that happy with just a non-caffeinated drink, wait till you hear what else I’ve got for you.” Couf snapped a damp towel and began cleaning the the counter in front of Bousset.

Jehan raised his eyebrows and tried to walk behind the counter. “Even I didn’t hear about this yet.”

Couf jumped to block Jehan from passing through the swinging counter entrance. “Nope, your shift is over, darling.” You can’t get behind the counter anymore.”

“Courfeyrac...”

“No. Now go sit down and keep Bousset company.”

“Couf, you tell me you’ve got something for me, and then you get buys.” Bousset swiveled his chair right, left, right left. “Are you stalling?”

Couf sighed. “You,” He pointed to Bousset, “Wait a sec. You,” he rounded back to Jehan, who was standing cross-armed on the other side of the swinging door, “Come on. Sit down, I’ll make you a jasmine tea, relax. You’ve been on your feet for the past four hours.”

Jehan sighed. “Fine.” A pause.”Could you make that an Earl Grey?”

Couf grinned. success. “With milk?”

Jehan bounced onto the seat next to Bousset and gave it a whirl. “You’re the best, Coufeyrac.”

Bousset drummed his fingers on his hot cup. “I’m waiting. Ouch!” The top popped off the cup and the hot chocolate droplets scalded his skin.

“So I was in Victorian Lit this morning, and surprisingly, this class is tiny. The professor had us sit in this adorable little circle, and Oh My God, this class this class is beyond amazing. Like, I think this is going to be my favorite painting, ever. So I’m sitting there and this girl pulls up a desk next to me and let me tell you Eagle, have I found a girl for you. She’s sarcastic, she’s witty, and she mentioned math. Math! How do bring up math in a class about Victorian Lit?”

“Does this 8th wonder of the world have a name?” Bousset asked, clearly unimpressed.   

“Her name is Musichetta, and my friend, she is a goddess among people. Did I mention she seemingly, inexplicitly likes math? In addition to literature? Man, if this chick wasn’t so perfect for you, I’d ask her out myself.”

“Okay, okay,” Bousset conceded, smiling faintly now. “Don’t push it too hard, or else I’ll think she just set you up to this.”

Couf sighed and shook his head. “Right now, she doesn’t even know you exist. I’m going to try and drag her here at some point next week, I’ll make sure you know when so you can be casually perusing one of your myriad of math textbooks of doom.”

By now, Bossuet was full on laughing. “You know, Couf, you try so hard to set up all your friends, I’d almost think you get off on it.” He slid back his chair with a grinding screech, prompting a communal “SHH!” from the library corner. Bousset rolled his eyes and got out of his chair. “I’ve gotta get back to my dorm and finish unpacking. I’m sure I’ll see both of you within the next few days.” He grabbed the his hot cup and ruffled Jehan’s hair, creating a contained whirlwind. “Better watch your step, Jehan. If you’re not careful, Couf will try to set you up with someone next.”

“It means that I love you!”Courfeyrac called after him as he sauntered out the door.

Bossuet turned back to yell, “Oh sure!” but managed instead to bump head-first into someone rushing through the door, arms laden with books.

“Oof!” The voice heaved, while Bossuet simultaneously cried, “JOLY!”

The bespectacled newcomer rose shakily to his feet, grasping at an ornate cane. “Nice to see you too, Bossuet. Although next time, a little less enthusiasm works just fine too.”

Finally, Bossuet full on grinned. “I missed you too, buddy, and I’d love to stay and chat but I really do have to run. See you later?” The last part seemed just a bit too wistful to Courfeyrac’s ears, and he smiled to himself.

Joly grinned back. “Of course.” He stepped aside to let Bossuet rush out the door. Joly stepped further inside the store and greeted Courfeyrac and Jehan, who was already scrambling to pick up the fallen books.

“Joly, great to see you!” Couf exclaimed. “Now let me tell you, have I got the girl for you! Her name is Musichetta, and my friend, she is a goddess among people.” This was going to be great, Courfeyrac thought to himself. He could barely wait for the semester to fully get under way.

**Author's Note:**

> And here we are, the first (hopefully of many) chapters. Coming soon, meeting the rest of the gang, where I'll explain how everyone fits into this little universe, and maybe a bit of how this cafe works. I'll hopefully be posting around once a week, I don't know which day yet. Probably not Tuesdays though.


End file.
